Bloomington Songwriter Showcase

Inspired by their experiences playing and attending songwriter's showcases in Nashville, TN, 'Stella and Jane' members Suzette Weakley (Stella) and Bobbie Lancaster (Jane) decided that they needed to bring a similar experience back home to the fertile musical soil of Bloomington, Indiana, and just maybe help put this place on the map as the musical mecca that it ought to be, given all the talent running around both the town and the region.

In 2008, Suzette got together with fellow Bloomington songwriters Marc Haggerty and Dave McConnell (The Lopers) to start the Bloomington Songwriters Showcase with the added help of the good folks at The Player's Pub and it's original owner Greg Hill (who, sadly, has now passed on). Through the years, Suzette has enlisted the help of several other folks, including Tom Marshalek, Steev Wisher, Anna Hungerfield-Lynch, Brandon Pfeiffer and more to organize and host the shows. In February 2016, The Showcase found a new home at Bloomington's classic Bear's Ale House & Eatery.

The Showcase takes place almost every Tuesday night from 7:30-9:30pm at Bear's and features an ever growing assortment of the finest performing songwriters from Bloomington, surrounding areas, throughout the nation (from places like Boulder, CO, Ithaca, NY, Nashville, TN and Austin, TX) and all around the globe (Canada, Ireland, Australia & beyond).

Although the format varies a bit at times, most evenings we feature four individual songwriters, all on stage at the same time. Each takes a turn playing a song in a round robin format. Sometimes the players get a little extra inspired and play a bit longer and/or accompany each other's songs! Also, about once a month, one of the seats is considered the "open chair". We'll feature a different songwriter in that chair each rotation, which is a chance for writers to show us their stuff, try out the format, and/or test out some new material.

Admission is free, the drinks are cold, and the food is excellent! So stop on by and enjoy the finest, freshest original music that Bloomington has to offer!